Need Engine Info

[sietekk]

My 1UZ swap from a 92 LS400 into an 86 Cressida is coming along really well for a first timer. The LS400 I purchased for $500 had a salvage title, but the engine ran beautifully. It wasn't until I decided to gut the entire car and chop it up that I found out the chassis was very nearly completely rebuilt. The entire firewall, bulkhead, full transmission tunnel, and inside metal on the front frame rails are all new to the chassis. I hope that the person/people in the car turned out okay, because welding ran all the way into the back of the trunk. It looks like the original engine was pushed back to where the dashboard is supposed to be.

Obviously, this engine cannot be original to the car. It looks like a trade school or mechanics training shop rebuilt it to be road worthy. There's New York State inspection stickers all over it. Plus, I don't think it would have made monetary sense to do all this work for a regular shop or dealership to just sell it as a salvage vehicle.

How do I find information on the engine I have? It's in fairly good shape and runs well, but I want to know how it compares to the odometer (140,000-ish miles iirc), and if it came from a higher mileage donor car. Are there serial/VIN numbers on the engine I can look up? Should I get a Carfax report? Would it give me the info I'm looking for?

Thanks for the help guys. I appreciate any help you can give me on this for my peace of mind.

EDIT: When I get most of the swap photos together, I'll post pics of the chassis repairs before it got Sawzalled.

 

[Bushwhacker]

The engine number is behind/below the thermostat housing. You'll need to remove the plastic section that houses the sparkplug wires to see it more clearly.

Other info you require can be found here.....
http://www.lextreme.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13573

 

[dewme5]

To put you at ease some, these engines have very long life's. I pulled mine from the junk yard at 240,000 miles. Knowing what I know now about this engine, I would do it again.

If it's not the original engine, and an honest seller, you are not going to have luck figuring out the mileage on the engine. Besides, mileage is just a rough estimate of the life ahead. -What if it has only 100,000 miles, but 10,000 miles were run with almost no oil, and bad o2 sensors?

Take your time, do a few basic checks to understand what sort of shape it is in. Compression, leakdown, read the plugs, visual the cams and lifters, old oil buildup?, etc.